It is a funny old world, isn't it?
Even if you carefully plan something, design a structure and place all the pieces in a line something can come along and knock it all down.
The Sexiest Men in ELT was such a post.
I came up with this back in August or September after reading Gavin Dudeney's and Lindsay Clandfield's posts and started the She-in-ELT series. As much as it tickled me and intrigued me... and worried me... I knew I would have to wait until the end of the year before releasing it into the wild, so it sat on my bulletin board like a ticking bomb.
Even if you carefully plan something, design a structure and place all the pieces in a line something can come along and knock it all down.
The Sexiest Men in ELT was such a post.
I came up with this back in August or September after reading Gavin Dudeney's and Lindsay Clandfield's posts and started the She-in-ELT series. As much as it tickled me and intrigued me... and worried me... I knew I would have to wait until the end of the year before releasing it into the wild, so it sat on my bulletin board like a ticking bomb.
Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
W.B. Yeats
The thing is we know there is a problem in ELT paradise. We know there is a glass ceiling and we know we really can't do anything about it.
We know that at every single conference women participants outnumber men. We know that every single conference the ratio of male speakers to female speakers is out of whack.
We can't do anything about this.
But we can laugh about it.
And perhaps in our laughter, questions could be asked. Discomfort would be experienced, yes, and even perhaps some reflection into the reasons for that discomfort...
Yet last week as Saturn and Uranus danced, Pluto spun and Venus' gravitational pull unhinged, the Blogosphere and Twitterverse imploded with the entry of the Supernovas (special welcome to them in the next post and changes to my blog layout) - questions were not asked here but instead saboteur statements were made in an alternative universe.
Yet last week as Saturn and Uranus danced, Pluto spun and Venus' gravitational pull unhinged, the Blogosphere and Twitterverse imploded with the entry of the Supernovas (special welcome to them in the next post and changes to my blog layout) - questions were not asked here but instead saboteur statements were made in an alternative universe.
In the fallout, the joke took a hit.
A good friend wrote me with ways I could repair the damage
a. Feel the fear and do it anyway
b. Erase all traces
c. Call it off
d. Do a pre-poll
e. Park it for now
f. Say you're busy (which I am) and ignore the situation
I've chosen option e...
The poll for the Sexiest Man in ELT is going to sleep, for now.
Best,
Karenne
Karenne,
ReplyDeleteI have been absent from the Internet for a while. Got too busy and couldn't cope. However, I did manage to follow my favourite blogs, including yours.
I'd just like to say that one of the things I admire you for (and there is a long list) is your courage. Please, don't change.
I just thought there were more women in ELT cause they are better at teaching :) :)
ReplyDeleteStick to your guns, Karenne, and give the knockers all they deserve. I'm sure you know what I mean!
ReplyDeleteActually, you have inspired me, so the next poll on The TEFL Tradesman will be something like "Who's the horniest chick in ELT?". Really.
Hope you take it in the spirit it comes. Anyway, you'll probably win, hands down...
Sandy, too sweet - but beware Jason Renshaw tried this... I'd pop along to his blog and have a read through "what's in a word" if I were you...
ReplyDeletethere was a bit of a storm in the blogosphere about two weeks ago or so (hence why the poll is temporarily on hold)...
the PC police came out in full "force" with the usual, what's the word: falsities(?) pettiness(?)
...however a handful were actually sincerely offended so I've decided to wait a bit, then remove their names and then continue on...
;-)K
Yes, Karenne, I've just spent a few very productive minutes at Jason's blog, and had a good chuckle at a lot of the pompous nonsense that came out of that 'experiment'. Yes, 'falsities' and 'pettiness' indeed!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I know feel much more confident about the whole thing. Some miserable cows will get angry, but that's tough. I've also saved a lot of the incredibly puritan-political comments that emerged from Jason's lark, and I look forward to adding them to contest!